Victor A Young and James Kall in Sleuth_St. Jacobs Country Playh

ST. JACOBS — It is difficult to describe Drayton Entertainment’s latest production, Sleuth, without revealing too much of the fun, given there are more twists, turns and surprises than a Rocky Mountain highway.

Described as a “clever thriller,” the Tony-Award winning Sleuth opened Thursday at St. Jacobs Country Playhouse.

Written by Anthony Shaffer, Sleuth debuted in London’s West End in 1970 before moving on to a successful run on Broadway followed by a film adaptation in 1972 and a second film in 2007. The accolades are well-deserved because this is one clever play, both a comedy and a thriller, a probing search into the mind of a couple of demented individuals determined to outdo each other, even if it means to the death. This is intellectual dueling at its best and the game is afoot.

The basic premise of Sleuth centres on an arrogant crime novelist Andrew Wyke, played brilliantly by veteran actor Victor A. Young who, while rattling around in his English mansion, comes up with the perfect way to destroy his enemy, Milo Tindle.

It seems Milo has been having a passionate affair with Andrew’s selfish and greedy wife Marguerite, a woman Andrew seems happy to pass on to the younger man. He invites the penniless Milo to the mansion where he suggests that if he has any hope of keeping Marguerite in the lifestyle she is accustomed to, his only choice is to steal her jewels then sell the loot.

The scheme seems mostly foolproof and trusting Milo agrees. What Andrew doesn’t know is that beneath Milo’s simpering exterior beats the heart of a man equal to him intellectually, a man who will seek and find his revenge when everything goes horribly wrong.

Young’s portrayal of Andrew is stunning to watch. The script calls for the character to constantly shift into fantasy as he acts out plot lines using the imagined dialogue of various characters before shifting back to reality. It’s as if he is suddenly possessed by other personalities, like something out of the movie Sybil. A lesser actor would not be able to pull off these rapid fire changes, but Young rarely misses a beat.

James Kall, in the part of the hapless Milo, is also equal to the task, though he is supposed to be portraying the part of a swarthy Latin type and physically, he’s more pasty accountant. It doesn’t really matter because Kall has that perfect blend of innocence and menace.

In order to pull off the fake burglary, Andrew insists Milo wear a disguise and, after rifling through a collection of ridiculous costumes, the men settle on a clown suit, complete with a profoundly creepy mask.

On orders from Andrew, Milo heads outside to the storage shed where he fetches a ladder that provides access to a two-storey glass window on the upper balcony where he then climbs in through a window.

The sight of that clown scaling the ladder backlit by the fading light of dusk makes one’s skin crawl. Kudos here to lighting designer Simon Day who created the perfect atmosphere and to set designer Allan Wilbee’s incredible stage setting.

There are very few facets of Sleuth to criticize, except perhaps the British accents. Partway through the production, Kall simply gives up trying to affect any sort of accent which is a relief and certainly less distracting than hearing him struggle with inflections. Accents of any sort are difficult for actors and no reflection on their acting skills.

Sleuth is directed by Marti Maraden, a successful director with Stratford and the Shaw Festival, and she is in top form with this production.

As the theatre season winds down for Drayton, Sleuth was a superb choice to keep audiences keen for 2013. The final production in St. Jacobs will be Annie, Nov. 13-Dec. 23.